After a year, officially, and half a year lurking, I thought I should introduce myself. I have been shaving with Wilkinson Sword blades since shortly after I bought my Slim in January of 1966. In the late ‘70s a Kresge store went out of business and was blowing out “Made in England” Wilkinson Sword blades. I cleaned them out. (Not just hundreds of blades, but hundreds of packs of blades.) In the late ‘80s a big box store, whose name I cannot now recall, went out of business and was blowing out the same blades, as well as the Wilkinson black delrin double-edge razor. Again, I cleaned them out. I gave those razors as gifts for years.

I began lurking this and other sites in the summer of 2013 and discovered to my surprise that the razor I had been using for almost 50 years, and which fit my hand as if it were designed to, was not the razor I thought I lusted after in my callow youth – it was the Fatboy (not the Slim) I had wanted in high school. I just didn’t know enough to know better!

So I had to research Fatboys, and find one (or two), and then I realized Gillette produced some interesting razors in the first half of the 20th century, too. I started down a perilous path of open combs. And then razor blades – I still had a couple of dozen Wilkies left, but there was a whole new world of blades I had to try. And brushes: until 2013 I had bought three brushes in my life. All were boar bristle, but what was this hubbub about badger (and horse and synthetic)?

During my lurking days (it was research, you know) I found I needed to join this and other sites in order to see all the pictures (and I had to see the pictures!). (And then I discovered enablers…shhhhh.)
So here I am with a thousand razor blades, about three dozen razors, and half a dozen brushes. My latest budgetary indiscretions have involved after-market and custom handles. Toby has just shipped out my second Triad stainless steel handle. Oh, my.

I am not much of a poster, but I do read your posts almost daily. Thank you for being here.

Welcome. Your story is similar to mine. I purchased a slim in 1962 and a Fat Boy in 1964, and shaved with those two razors, inexpensive synthetic brushes, and either Old Spice or Mennen's soap for the next fifty years, products that my father and grandfather used. I discovered the forums a couple of years ago and have tried about every DE, SE, soap, and brush available. I'm now into straights. It's an enjoyable hobby, but what I enjoy the most is the comradery on the forums. I'd encourage you to post, as you have a lot of knowledge from years of shaving and from the products you've tried, to share with others.